A Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the legitimacy of Senator David Mark’s leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing a lawsuit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide challenging the appointments of David Mark as the party’s National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the National Secretary.
Nigerian Post reported, Justice Musa Liman ruled that the court has no jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties, provided that no law or constitutional right has been violated.
The court further held that the plaintiff failed to provide evidence showing that any of his legal or constitutional rights had been infringed. It also noted that he did not first exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.
In addition, the court confirmed that the transfer of the party’s leadership from Ralph Nwosu to Senator David Mark was carried out in accordance with the ADC Constitution. It also ruled that the emergence of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola complied with the party’s constitution, the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, and was conducted under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Furthermore, the court ordered Leke Abejide to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the defendants. It also imposed a ₦10 million penalty on his lawyer in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
